


We Are French, Afterall

by NateJay



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette, Bad Puns, Dorks, F/M, Fluff, Homework, Idiots in Love, Kissing, Light Angst, Light Sin, MLB, My First Fanfic, Oblivious, One Shot, POV Alternating, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Reveal Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Secret Identity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:15:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25855750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NateJay/pseuds/NateJay
Summary: Ditched by Alya and Nino, Marinette is alone for a homework session in her room with Adrien. She is struggling with inspiration for the Paris themed portion of her design project and Adrien has a helpful suggestion...
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 5
Kudos: 85





	We Are French, Afterall

"Uuuugh, I don't know what to do! This artist's block or whatever is going to be the end of my career and then my life!"

Marinette is back to pacing around her bedroom floor at a dizzying pace.

"I mean if I can't find inspiration then my design will be a flop and I'll fail this assignment. I'll flunk the class and probably my others as well! This will cause me to lose any internship prospects because nobody wants to work with an aspiring designer who can't design and I'll wind up getting kicked out of school! I'll waste away, a talentless, starving artist wandering the streets, as the city that should have been my inspiration _mocks_ me."

Falling down in a huff on the well-loved carpet, she pulls her legs criss-crossed beneath her and hides her face behind her hands.

"Somehow I really doubt that will happen, Marinette."

Adrien rises from the chaise, abandoning his Chinese assignment, instead choosing to stand beside his friend. He places a comforting hand on her shoulder.

She doesn't look up to see the soft, genuine smile painted on his face, but he sees her pause, and knows she registered his words enough to at least _breathe._

The quartet of friends had agreed to meet up for a homework session at the Dupain-Cheng household, but as this Thursday evening and Alya would have it, this of course did not happen. Ever determined now as she has been for the last two years to have _Operation: Oblivio- Idiots in Love_ succeed, Alya made sure that Adrien and Marinette had some alone time.

Not even five whole minutes before the group was scheduled to meet, the reporter had texted her friend that she couldn't make it because she had to suddenly babysit the twins, and that Nino would be helping her. She told Marinette not to worry about her being in charge of them alone and to keep her now solo study date with Adrien.

_Sure._

As she read the texts, Marinette could see the smirk on Alya's face as she typed up her excuse to push Marinette into confronting the obvious. It was too late to cancel on Adrien by that point without being rude, and though she had been nervous, Marinette also had to admit that she hadn't wanted to tell him not to come anyway.

For the last two years she has tried to tell Adrien how she has felt, but fate would always intervene and foil her efforts. Over time, she even began to hesitate as a certain kitty snuck his way into her heart.

Marinette wasn't able to precisely place when it had happened, but somewhere along the way her ever adoring and adorable punning partner had made himself a home in her heart. As much as she fought against admitting it, Chat Noir was more than a partner or friend to her. She cared for him enough to hesitate in playfully shooting him down when he would send her a suggestive wink, and think twice before she tried yet another attempt at sharing her feelings with Adrien. Her kitty is loyal and sincere and always kind. More than that, Marinette doesn't trust anyone like she does him.

She couldn't love two boys. She couldn't like two boys. But unfortunately she does.

Marinette also loves her bestie, but on nights like tonight -when her… more _unhinged_ side is showing, she definitely did not need _Adrien Agreste_ of all people to see the unfiltered and unhindered torrent of nonsense and chaos that rambled from her lips. Tonight she is mad in more ways than one.

Unable to do much else at the moment, Marinette sighs and grumbles out more unintelligible worries into her fingers.

Deciding that he would need to do more to pull Marinette out of her mental tailspin, Adrien seats himself on the carpet beside her.

"You're going to be okay, Mari. You're amazing! You always find a way to make your work look magical."

Reaching back to scratch his neck, Adrien is suddenly feeling nervous. He didn't mean for what he was saying to come out quite so… intense? He is comforting a friend. Yeah. Marinette is just a _(really good)_ friend. Right?

He cares for Marinette and wants to see her succeed. He knows the unbridled joy and warmth she radiates always makes him feel better, safer even. She is smart and quick and kind. Of course he likes her. And it's normal for people to like their friends.

If he wasn't Chat Noir, if Ladybug wasn't Ladybug… then maybe Adrien could bring himself to admit that Marinette occupies more of his heart than he is willing to say.

It isn't okay for him to love two girls. It isn't okay for him to like two girls. But unfortunately he does.

"I'm sure it will turn out wonderful, Marinette, trust me."

His voice is soft, comforting. He can see her shoulders sag slightly as she takes in his words. Adrien hopes that he hasn't made her feel worse, and instead that she is feeling more relaxed as he waits for her to reply.

Raising her gaze to meet his for the first time since her rant began, she feels a squeezing in her chest. _Adrien really knows how to be there for me._

"Thank you. And of course I trust you."

Releasing the breath he didn't realize he had been holding, Adrien flashes a smile.

"Not that I was questioning your faith in me my-"

 _My lady._ He almost just said My Lady. _Idiot._ He needs to keep the voice of his alter ego in check. Besides, it isn't fair to either of them for him to confuse the affectionate nickname. He will agonize over that later though, because right now he needs to help his friend.

Clearing his throat to cover his near slip, Adrien finishes, " -Marinette. But I know you well enough to know that the worst won't happen and that you'll figure it out."

Unable to stop the giggles, Marinette counters, "You may have too much trust in me, but you're right about it not being the end of the world. I guess."

Shifting so he was more comfortable on the floor near her, he leans back against the support beam for her loft bed and sticks his legs out in front of him- and is suddenly struck with an idea.

Adrien pretends to don fake glasses and pats his lap, cheerfully saying, "Okay. The doctor is in the house! Relax and tell me your problems!"

Marinette stares at the boy, expressions playing out vividly on her face. Confusion, shock, excitement, embarrassment, and finally a giddy, slightly-less-than-composed smile.

Struggling to keep a nervous giggle from escaping, she focuses on his slender fingers which are still patting his thighs just above the knee, his ring glinting in the warm lighting of her room with his movements.

Taking a breath, she finally looks at him again.

"Okay, Doctor Agreste, but only if you are okay with accepting payment in the form of pastry."

Adrien grins ear to ear, "Ah, that's my preferred way!"

He makes a mental note to use that as a pun the next time he dons the mask. Pre- _furred._ Oh! Or _purr_ -ferred!

Unaware of his wandering pun-related thoughts and their accompanying glimmer in his eye, Marinette lays her head on his legs and relaxes against him and the carpet, crossing her own legs at the ankle comfortably.

Closing her eyes, she sighs and begins to explain the source of her woes.

"The final for my independent-study art course… M. Pinceau and I decided that to help me with expanding my portfolio, I should do a series of five clothing designs, each inspired by different cities."

Adrien listens intently as Marinette explains the parameters and timeline of her project. He didn't realize that he had started to play with her hair, but when he looks down and sees his fingers entwined softly in her dark blue tresses, he is surprised but does not remove them.

"The cities I chose for inspiration are London, Rome, New York City, Shanghai, and of course- Paris. I've finalized the drafts of the first four and I'm mostly happy with them, but I just can't seem to come up with a design that captures the Parisian spirit! This one should be the easiest and yet I'm falling completely flat!" 

With her last word, she blows a raspberry loudly and scrunches her face.

Adrien's eyes go wide as he flushes and laughs at his classmate. He can't help but feel his cheeks grow warm at the cute display of her pout in front of him.

Seeing that she opened her eyes to look up at him, he attempts his best serious face and pretends to stroke his imaginary therapist's goatee.

"Hmm, yes, I see… tell me… what have you tried thus far to unblock yourself?"

She chuckles nervously and closes her eyes again.

"Well, Doc, I thought of the usual. Eiffel Tower, the Seine, escargot. But none of those seemed quite right."

She breathes out heavily, before launching into another torrent of words not unlike when she was pacing just a few minutes ago.

"Just like-! I'm FRENCH for _Dieu's sake! I'm Parisian!!_ I've grown up here and I live above and work in a _patisserie!_ I speak French, I learn French history in school and-" _and I save Paris multiple times a week from a sociopath and his butterflies,_ she thinks.

"-and I eat croissants almost daily! I'm Parisian through and through but none of it matters because the spark just isn't there! Either it's hopeless or I just haven't found the right inspiration…" 

She trails off, deciding to wait and see what Adrien is thinking.

"What about French kissing?"

The words are out before he realizes he had spoken, much less had the opportunity to stop himself or _god forbid,_ think(!!!) _before he opened his mouth_ in the first place.

No. He did _not._ Just. Suggest That. _Nonononono._

Adrien's hands still in Marinette's hair as his whole body freezes in horror. Her eyes shoot open, wide as saucers, and her mouth pops into a silent "oh."

_Oh no._

The two are quiet, frozen for a moment, eyes locked on one another's.

Then the screeching started.

Marinette leaps from his lap as if his pants are ablaze (when really, it is both of their cheeks that are burning.)

Jolted from his frozen state, Adrien inhales sharply, making an embarrassingly loud whine in the back of his throat. Trying to give her more space, he shifts to get up but wacks his head on the support beam he'd been leaning against with a _whump_ followed by a shrill yelp.

When Marinette sees that Adrien hurt himself she rushes a step towards him, realizes that she _absolutely_ cannot be closer to him right now, and screams when he makes eye contact with her while rubbing the back of his head.

Her scream, of course, startles the already shaken boy and he yelps in response and slides back down the support beam to the floor.

The room is painfully still for five… ten… fifteen seconds as a sudden silence permeates the thick air again.

Flat on his back on the ground and attempting to shake the fog from his brain, Adrien rubs the back of his head and blinks hard a couple times. He chances a glance in Marinette's direction and finds her laying face down on the floor, arms wrapped around her head.

Maybe Plagg had a point earlier when he had asked Adrien if he intended on using his brain tonight. Apparently NOT. _Dear gods._ In fact, he could feel his kwami's laughter shaking from within his shirt pocket, having just witnessed his chosen's latest faux pas.

But really, what was that!? Where did that _come from!_

Marinette, meanwhile, is unaware of Adrien's wish for the sweet release of death just a pace away from her.

Her vocalized screaming may have stopped, but her silent, open mouthed _"AAAAAAAHHH"_ into her forearms is still going strong.

How could he have said that? _Did_ he actually say it??? _Have I finally snapped and imagined it!?_

Her thoughts spiral as she remains stationary on the floor that feels like stone against her.

Does… does Adrien want to kiss her? No, he's a friend but… did he offer?? Wait. No he didn't offer anything he just mentioned kissing, no promises have been made for his participation for anything.

Far from breaking out of her thoughts, she grows warmer and warmer until not just her cheeks, but her entire face and neck begin to glow red.

Adrien watches as her ears begin to look sun-burnt, fully aware he is just as scarlet as she is. He is transfixed, not knowing what to do, when he feels a kick against his chest from Plagg.

"I- uh… I, I mean." He stutters. _So eloquent, good job, Adrien._ "I just… ah-haha! Ahhh…"

He peters off, lost for words, because his brain has packed up and left. He supposes it doesn't matter, since his mouth is so dry he could scarcely say anything his brain might have thought of anyway, were it still between his ears. Maybe he should call Natalie and to tell her to start picking out a coffin since he was going to die of embarrassment here in Marinette's bedroom.

...He asked if she had tried French kissing for inspiration _in her bedroom._ Alone. _Alone with him in her bedroom._

Adrien's gaze flicks up towards the girl sprawled across the floor. 

For better or worse, she had moved one of her arms, allowing their eyes to meet.

A chortle that is WAY too loud to be reasonable breaks free from Adrien's lips and he is thrown into a fit of full belly laughter that seemingly appears out of nowhere.

She may have thought this would kill her, but she can't help but join in on his hysterical laughter with her own. If she is going to go, laughing herself to death amid a sea of embarrassment is one hell of a way.

Once the pair quiets down, Marinette catches her breath and pulls herself up so she is sitting with her arms resting against her knees. Adrien mirrors her position and sits back against the surface where he hit his head minutes ago, though the pain has dulled considerably.

"Marinette, I'm so sorry. I… I honestly don't know where my filter went."

Blushing, she meets his eyes, "Don't worry about it, Adrien. You don't have to be embarrassed. It's an appealing idea anyway..."

Realizing she said the last part out loud, the part she _firmly_ intended to just _think,_ Marinette slaps a hand over her mouth to muffle a new round of screaming she can feel coming on.

Adrien swears he hears a record scratch in his brain.

Did… did Marinette Dupain-Cheng just say his suggestion about _French Kissing_ was appealing to her? Could she want to kiss him??? Could he kiss her? Should he?

Absentmindedly reaching up to touch his lips with hesitant fingers, he ponders if kissing her would be the end of him? And if it were, would it be such a bad way to go?

Seeing Adrien's eyes glaze over as he touches his (too attractive for his own good) lips, she lets out an involuntary high pitched whine.

All that time practicing, learning to be composed around him just vanished into thin air, huh?

"Uh. Umm," was all she could manage, but Adrien, ever the gentleman, wouldn't leave her hanging. Naturally, he would find the one thing to say that would dig their hole deeper.

"Marinette… do you… um, think kissing me is… appealing?" More to himself than her, he wonders out loud afterward, "Do you think about kissing me?"

Her face burns so much she wonders if she could bake cookies on it. Seeing no means for a tactful way to escape the question, she breathes to steady herself.

"There are things far less appealing than making out with one of my favorite people. So."

That is the moment his brain exploded. Adrien.exe has stopped working.

Does… does she _like_ him?

 _This?_ This is dangerous. Opening his heart to hope is dangerous.

Moving to a kneeling position, he inches closer to her. Watching for a sign of discomfort or hesitation, he carefully leans closer into her space.

Adrien notices that she smells like peaches and cookies, a happy scent. She meets his eyes with her own, and he gently places a kiss to each of her cheeks before drawing back and seating himself beside her.

"A proper Parisian greeting includes _la bise._ "

"Of course," she smiles, "It's just common courtesy."

Adrien shyly grins back, grateful that he was able to salvage the moment and repair the mess he had created. He still has to check in with her verbally before he can be sure, though.

"Marinette? I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable in any way."

Touched by his conscientiousness of her feelings and emboldened by what can only be her kwami's luck, she places a hand on his fidgeting ones.

"You didn't make me at all uncomfortable. I'm always a little bit of a wreck, but that isn't because of you."

He looks like he is about to protest, but she laughs and interrupts him before he can apologize again.

"Honestly, this just made my night better, Adrien."

At this, it is official. Adrien is dead and Marinette has killed him.

"I… made your night better?"

He has such hope and joy in his sparkling green eyes that Marinette melts and her heart soars.

"Your cheek kisses weren't too shabby, and yes, you definitely made it better."

Adrien isn't sure if he should say what he wants to next, but he doesn't have to when Marinette speaks again.

"I'm starting to feel inspired, but I don't know if I'm quite there yet…"

A coy smile appears on her lips. Lips which Adrien realizes he has been staring at for a little too long to be considered polite.

A smirk of his own materializes on his face.

"I'm more than happy to help you find a greater spark of inspiration, if you want, of course."

She bites her lip to avoid smiling like the doe-eyed idiot she feels like, instead trying to harness all the bravado she can manage.

"With your help, Adrien, I'm sure sparks will fly."

At her words, he is both elated and incredibly nervous. He doesn't want to ruin anything with her because her friendship means the world to him.

But if their friendship is so strong, surely nothing they do would change that, right?

Right, he decides.

Though she could see the pink spreading across his handsome features at their shared nerves, she is happy to also find that his smile touches his eyes and the crookedness present in his grin tells of mischief. She has to admit, it is a good look on him.

They both seem to relax a bit, even though excitement coils in their stomachs.

"Would you like to sit on the chaise with me? Or… ?" He offers when he realizes he still hasn't replied to her.

"S-sure! Or, if you'd prefer we can sit on my balcony? It's warm for June and the breeze would be nice. Fresh air could be good and actually I'm just going to stop myself before I can ramble any more."

Rising and offering Marinette a hand, Adrien cheerily says, "Whichever you'd prefer!"

Marinette graciously accepts, and does some mental gymnastics to form an answer. Since it is her night for solo patrol later on, it is unlikely any of the other miraculous holders would be out, and she could always do with another floor between them and her parents. While there was a chance that he would be kissing(!!) her tonight, she decided it was for the best to go to the roof.

"Balcony it is! Wait here one sec, if we are forgetting concrete work for the time being let me get us some snacks."

Feeling some prodding from his pocket, Adrien says, "That would be awesome! If you have any cheese could you bring a little?"

She chirps a quick, "Uh-huh!" before springing through her trap door and down the stairs into her home.

Once the door has swung shut, Plagg flies from his chosen's pocket and floats at eye-level with the boy.

"That cheese is the LEAST you can do for me. And if you don't mind, I'm going to stay in her room while you stumble over your words and suck face with your girlfriend up there."

Sputtering at first, all Adrien can say is, "She… isn't my girlfriend…?"

"Yet!" Plagg cackles with a wink, before swirling away and hiding somewhere near her closet, just in time for Marinette to re-emerge into her room, tray in hand.

Adrien nearly drools at the sight of the cookies, pain au chocolat, and single cheese danish piled high on a plate balanced next to a pink thermos.

"We don't have much cheese-wise right now, but I snuck a danish up here, if that's okay? Oh! And maman was making hot chocolate for us when I went down so I have that as well!"

"What did I do to deserve you? _-This!_ What did I do to deserve this?"

Broken from his spell, Adrien curses himself again for his lack of any semblance of tact or grace tonight.

A flush colors her cheeks once again, but she chooses not to comment on his blunder.

"It's no problem. If you wouldn't mind grabbing that blanket on your way up, that would be great! Just in case the wind picks up it will be good to have with us."

With a quick, "Of course!" he scales the ladder to her bed, unlatches the door, and climbs through onto her balcony. (His superhero self has done so enough times.) He then turns around to take the tray from her so she does not have to climb all the way up holding it.

Once she reaches the roof, Marinette plugs in her fairy lights so they can properly see and sits against the half wall where she keeps her plants. Not unlike Adrien's earlier motion, she pats the ground beside her and places the blanket he was holding across their legs.

Both teens, realizing they are treading unfamiliar territory, grow silent, and in their silence give birth to another round of nerves.

"A-Adrien?"

The boy hums in response, looking at her with a shy smile.

"What's your favorite part of Paris?"

Internally, the answer to her question is immediate. Ladybug. His time spent with her, the freedom he experiences at Chat Noir, and their unbreakable bond.

Not even a second after though, he sees Plagg's and his friends' faces flash into his mind's eye.

Really, at the end of the day it is a tie for his favorite. Paris isn't Paris without Ladybug and certainly not without his friends, friends who feel more like family every day. Without any of them the magic of their city is lost.

"It's, well, for me there's a tie for first place so which answer do you want?"

"What are the chances you'll tell me both of them? Your thoughts could help me."

The boy flushes and ponders for a second, "Hmmm, they are in your favor if you hand me that macaron!"

He finishes his statement with a wink that causes Marinette's fingers to twitch. She fumbles, almost flinging the cookie off the roof in the process.

"Caught it! Here you go. So, what makes Paris _Paris_ for you?"

"Okay, so for me, the life of our city is You, Nino, Alya," silently, he fills in, _and Plagg._ "You all are like family to me, and without you Paris isn't a happy place. It just isn't... right."

He doesn't look up to see Marinette's face, but he knows she is listening. He can feel her lean into his shoulder a little more, her warmth pleasant against him.

"For me, Ladybug also is an integral part of what makes up the heart of Paris. She saves the day again and again. She is brave even if she is scared, she is smarter than hell and adaptable with every unique akuma, and she cares for her partner and her city fiercely.

"Without any of you all and without Ladybug, Paris could just be anywhere else. But it wouldn't be Our City."

When she finally looks at him, her blue eyes are wide and shining. He does not notice the single happy tear that has escaped and is slipping down her cheek before she brushes it away.

"That's… that is beautiful, Adrien. And I'm honored."

Her voice is so soft, it reaches into his very chest and strums his heartstrings.

"I mean it." He whispers, not trusting himself to say more.

They are quiet once again, but this time the silence is comfortable.

After some time, Marinette speaks.

"Home is where the heart is… My favorite part of Paris is a lot like yours."

Reaching over, she takes his hand. He accepts her grasp, his warm fingers wrapping around her own.

"My parents, Alya, Nino, and you. You make Paris my home. You all are wonderful and my life is better with you in it.

"Also, like you, I think Ladybug and Chat Noir make Paris so magical. Chat, especially, for me. He is relentlessly compassionate and always is checking in with his partner and akuma victims after battles. His jokes aside, he is willing to do what needs to be done and he knows how to stay calm in the face of uncertainty… He makes Ladybug better."

Marinette's eyes shift miles away, as she thinks of how many times Chat has been here for her, how much he means to her, and how his energy breathes light into the darkest situations they have faced together.

She finds herself wishing that she didn't feel so torn between the two wonderful young men who both hold her heart, unaware that Adrien is feeling the same about two amazing women.

"Paris is the city of love."

Adrien says it because there is nothing better to say that would sum up what they both mean.

"Adrien?" She speaks his name like both a wish and a question.

"Yes, Mari?"

"I-"

"Good evening, you two!"

The teens fly into the air and land two feet apart on the roof.

Marinette's eyes lock on the hero's, and her shock is replaced by a flicker of rage before she masks her expression with curiosity. 

While Ladybug knows who Rena Rouge is as a civilian, Marinette shouldn't. So Marinette can't be frustrated about her friend's intervention. It was because of her that Marinette had the opportunity to confess her feelings to Adrien in the first place, but it was equally Alya's interruption that had stopped her.

Alya's plans giveth, and Alya's plans taketh away. 

"Whatcha up to?" The fox wiggles her fingers and throws them a smirk.

"Hey, Rena! Just... talking!" Adrien was the first to recover enough for words.

Marinette loves Alya and will laugh about all this later, but for now she lets herself be a little annoyed. She smiles regardless of her diminishing, though still present, irritation.

"Yeah, what brings you to the neighborhood?"

Balancing on the railing, she places a hand to her chest. "Mwa? Oh I'm just doing a quick lap to make sure everything is peachy in Paris tonight. I saw you two all cuddled up and thought I would say hello!"

Since it was her night for patrol, Marinette knows it is very likely that Alya is out simply because she wants to know how their evening is going, and she really can't blame her too much for it. She had been ignoring her phone for at least the last hour and her bestie is a reporter who craves information at heart.

Marinette decides to offer her masked friend a cookie, standing to present the options from the plate to her.

"Thanks! This is so _sweet_ of you," she says, selecting a lime macaron. "Make sure you give him a little _sugar_ tonight too!"

Marinette goes instantly as red as Tikki. _Subtle Alya._

"S-someone has been spending too much time with Chat Noir with that joke," she says with a high pitched laugh.

Rena shoots them both a wink, "Maybe, but not as much as Ladybug!" 

Adrien promptly chokes on his own bite of cookie and the hero leaps down from her perch to pat his back.

"Easy there, model! We can't have word that I almost killed you spreading in the tabloids. It doesn't fit the whole superhero vibe, don't you think?"

Seeing he caught his breath once again, she moves back a few paces. "Besides, your friend here would probably be pretty upset with me if I took you out of commission when the night is still so young!"

"Ye- yeah," Adrien stammers, "No worries!"

"Well, I better move along! I left my beau with the kits and I'm sure they are running him ragged. Thanks for the cookie!"

"Goodnight, Rena!"

"Stay safe!"

Turning once more before leaping from the balcony, Rena Rouge fixes them with a knowing smile.

"Have fun tonight, cuties!"

The duo of teens watch as the hero bounds away into the sunset, a blur of orange and white flitting across the familiar horizon.

"So… that was…"

"An unexpected visit?" Marinette finishes for him.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking."

Adrien ruffles the hair at the back of his head, fluffing it up more than it's usual highly styled look allows. He notices the danish has vanished from the plate, along with some of the cookies he is certain they didn't eat, but cannot bring himself to dwell on it when his eyes catch sight of the girl standing oh so close to him.

He takes in Marinette's face under the glow of the fairy lights, their warmth doing wonders on her freckles and flush, while the moon beams down, causing her dark hair and bluebell eyes to take on an ethereal quality.

"Wow…"

"What?"

Did he say that out loud? Adrien can't seem to catch a break tonight, and he curses his mile-long unlucky streak.

"Oh, um nothing." He replies, eyes darting to his socks which are suddenly very interesting.

"Adrien," she says with a smirk while leaning into his space, "Are you _lying?_ "

"What?" He blanches, "N-no!"

Chuckling but not moving away, she meets his hesitant gaze.

"I'm just teasing, Adrien. Anyway, out of the two of us, _I'm_ supposed to be the one who has trouble talking, remember?"

She laughs, an airy sound that is all too pleasant for the boy's eardrums.

Adrien needs to get a handle on himself, so pulling on Chat's cheeky grin, he suggests, "It seems the cat got my tongue for the moment… but you can too."

He watches the girl before him pale for a second before flushing beet-red, and thinking he went a little too far, begins his apology, when she pauses him by finding her voice.

"We are French, afterall…"

Marinette is proud that her words had been spoken mostly steady, because she is so nervous and excited that she feels like she is floating. Her heart is beating so loud she wonders if Adrien can hear it. She realizes now just how near to him she really is.

Reaching forward to touch a lock of her hair, Adrien asks in a low voice, "Do you want me to kiss you, Mari?"

Her breath hitches, and she contains the excited whine that is trying to escape from the back of her throat. (Well, she mostly contains it.)

"If- if I say yes?"

He grins confidently for a moment before his subsequent flush causes his lips to pull into a shy smile.

"Then I would feel compelled to admit… that I would like to kiss you too."

She idly wonders if this is a dream, a really, really good dream, as his words take hold of her.

She stretches forward and caresses his jaw with the back of one finger, then skims her hand across his shoulder before allowing it to rest upon his bicep.

Chills dance across his skin at her touch and he shivers slightly as he places his left hand against Marinette's cheek. 

She parts her lips with a small pop at the contact of his hand. A twinkle in her eye, she leans in until her lips are centimeters from his.

"Then definitely. Yes."

Closing the space between them, Adrien leans in and softly brushes his lips against hers.

Her kiss is light and sweet, and matches his own gentleness.

Before, he was worried he would be carried away with the breeze because he felt so light on his feet, but with Marinette's lips pressed tenderly against his, Adrien has never felt more grounded. She is holding him steady with her presence, no need to fidget or fly away.

All too soon, they pull apart, cheeks pink and smiling.

Adrien's pupils blow wide and he falls back.

"I just kissed Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

Her jaw drops as she watches him stare at the sky and touch his smiling mouth with a shaking hand.

Then the giggles start.

She falls back as well in a rush of fresh laughter before stating to the sky, "I just kissed Adrien Agreste."

Marinette feels a whole new rush of excitement and looks to the boy lying beside her.

"Did that really happen?"

He meets her gaze with his still incredulous one. His voice grows louder and rises in pitch at the end of his reply.

"YEP!"

Rolling onto his side, he picks up her hand as a burst of happy laughter takes hold of them once again. They really are two of a kind, he thinks.

Emboldened by their mutual elation, Marinette mirrors his position and squeezes his hand.

"You know, that was lovely… But! It wasn't quite in our culture's tradition."

Who is this woman and what has she done with Marinette? Damn, she is feeling brave. Tikki would have had to do a double take if she were up here with them to watch this play out.

Adrien sobers at her suggestion, already sold on her idea. He playfully raises his eyebrow.

"You like a little spice with your sugar?"

 _Dieu,_ he is terrible.

Marinette rolls her eyes before cheekily throwing him a, "Well, if that isn't to your _taste_ then…"

He silences her with his lips.

His approach is soft, as before, but carries more passion. This kiss isn't a question, it is a statement.

Marinette leans her head to the side, and touches his chest with her free hand, inviting him closer.

His tongue dips through his parted lips and brushes against hers. She tastes like blackberries and sugar, no doubt from the macarons. It is a flavor that suits her- it tastes so _Marinette_ to him.

Gasping lightly at the foreign caress of his tongue, she sighs and complies readily, parting her own lips. 

His kiss is as inexperienced as hers, but they figure it out together quickly and naturally.

Adrien moves his arm so that his hand is placed on the back of her waist, holding her close to him. He then gently bites her lip, allowing them a moment to breathe before meeting her again.

Their tongues tentatively explore each others' and Marinette can feel the slight tingle of her crush's mint chapstick on her own lips.

She thinks she could stay like this forever and be happy with it. She is lost in their kiss, but found in Adrien's caring hold.

This time when the kiss ends, it leaves both Adrien and Marinette breathless and on cloud nine.

In unison, "Wow…" breaks free from the two young adults.

Adrien stares at her, lost in her eyes, before he watches her flash him a blinding smile. The lightness he is feeling doubles and he laughs brightly.

"Call me a flatterer, but your kiss is a Parisian delicacy, Mari."

She wrinkles her nose but her smile still shines in her gaze.

"Okay, that? That was bad, Adrien. But the kiss… was amazing. I could really feel the sparks of inspiration coming to me."

Her remark leaves him feeling quite pleased with himself and looking ever so like the cat that caught the canary. With a wiggle of his eyebrows, he places a small kiss against the back of her hand.

"It is truly my pleasure to help you Mari, especially with a passionate, pleasant, perfect _Purr_ -isian kiss! I would be more than happy to continue puckering up for you in the name of Peri!"

Marinette wonders why she is inexplicably drawn to dorky blonds as she rolls her eyes and leans in to kiss him again.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Please, please leave a comment with your thoughts!!
> 
> This is my first published story so I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> Shout out and HUGE THANK YOU to @kittinoir for beta reading, coming in clutch with a purr-fect pun, and helping me find the courage to share this! For real go read her fic Echoes of You if you haven't! 
> 
> I am currently working on a multi-chapter (unpublished) fic that I took a break from to write this one because I got so excited!
> 
> I have another oneshot with some shenanigans in the works as well, so stay tuned!


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